This is an answer to a question about the copyright on a recipe.

There is a ton of help with copyrights on the web.

You cannot copyright a list of ingredients.
You cannot copyright common instructions, such as "mix for 3 minutes."

You cannot copyright a name such as "Prodigal Pancakes" ...it's too common. But you could copyright a name such as "Patties Pretty Prodigal Pancakes for Pentecost." On the other hand, if you operated a restaurant called "Prodigal Pancakes" then nobody else could use that name --because it is your trademark.

You CAN copyright "uniquely creative" wording in the recipe. But anybody can read the recipe and create a simple description of it and then distribute it.

Copyright laws are designed to protect unique creative work, not common english descriptions.

If you get a recipe from a CE resource, you would need to simplify it in your OWN words. It would be polite to cite your inspiration, but no one can own a list of ingredients. (That's why companies like Coke seek to protect their "secret forumulas" ...you can't copyright a formula. However, you can "patent" a unique process that uses that forumla. But patents and copyrights are two different things.)

Neil "the guy who has spent way to much time researching copyrights"

[This message was edited by Exchange Gardener on August 09, 2003 at 08:40 PM.]